Day 22 - Warsaw to Belarus

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June 22

BPR's new runner Will Dobbie (left) is greated by Heiko, Richard and Paul in Warsaw. An officially selected back-up runner, Will was brought on board to relieve runners with minor injuries and ensure the pace keeps up. Welcome, Will!

Today marked the start of what will be the most exciting and difficult part of the Blue Planet Run journey. Many of the runners crossed the Polish border into Belarus, a country that was once part of the former Soviet Union. Most of the runners have never been to this part of the world, and it is the doorway to what will undoubtedly be the most difficult part of the Run, as it includes Siberia and Mongolia. We crossed the border with some trepidation (but mostly excitement) about the journey to come.

Victor heads off on his leg out of Warsaw

We did not expect, however, to have an adventure right away at the Belarus border. Two of the Blue Planet Run teams and support staff gathered just 10 minutes before the border to hop on a bus that would take us to our hotel, about 20 miles into the country. We arrived just as the border patrol was changing shifts. Furthermore, the Blue Planet Run team is truly international, so when the border guard collected our passports, they comprised a multicolored stack of booklets from the United States, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Guatemala, Kenya and the Czech Republic.

The changing patrol shift, coupled with passports from many countries, caused our bus to be delayed at the border for more than two hours. Our team is accustomed to being on the run, both literally and figuratively, so it was very frustrating. Yet we put the time to good use: Our Russian guide, Yulia, taught us some useful Russian phrases, and others napped or listened to music.

We were relieved when we finally received the green light into Belarus, and look forward to the days and weeks to come as the Run enters some of the most exotic places in the world.

Jason in the magic bus, the new Belarus shuttle rig